I figured out how to make more than one cliff level in the jungle tileset, as pictured below:



Would this setup be an interesting twist for melee maps? e.g. Main on level 3, natural on level 2 with wide ramp leading to ground level, etc. This also allows the creation of "pyramids" and such in UMS campaigns by repeatedly stacking cliffs.

Its great that you figured this out, but i assure you its nothing new.

Terran would have an advantage on this type map whether it was a pyramid or a ravine.

Since SC only recognizes two height levels, and melee is about balance and strategy, not being showy, it would be useless. Its been done before, and it adds nothing to gameplay that you couldn't do with normal ISOM.

it actually adds a ton to gameplay, lol
and im not talking about hit % on higher terrain

Dude, starcraft has THREE height levels. Why else do we have "low ground", "mid ground", and "high ground"? It's how hit% is computed firing from high dirt to high basilica, or high jungle to high temple. That's irrelevant though.

The natural ramp makes FE forge walling and terran walling decidedly more difficult, and contains easier to break unless situated at natural.

Sorry your right, there is high/mid/low. But since we only usually use high/mid, its easy to forget.

My point being you can create the illusion of more layers as much as you like, it really doesn't do anything except visual effect, and I think in melee that should be a bit more downplayed than it is. Decoration is nice, but you can polish a shit map all you like, you're still just polishing shit.

QFT.

The only way that knowing these terrain levels might help is to give raised jungle/sunken ground different terrain heights so that vision/hit% actually applies to them.

The main problem with this is that there will be a sudden transition from high grass to grass, which have different elevations, so if you're on one side of the grass attacking the other you'll have a miss chance that won't make any sense.

I personally don't think elevation would matter as long as vision gets limited.